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Original poster

Swimming ££!

37 replies

MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 08:57

Took Dc (4 and 2) swimming at our local leisure centre for the first time ever (older one has been on holiday pre COVID).

£24.80 for two adults and two kids, for an hour swim in the small/shallow teaching pool. Is this normal?! Was it always like that? I don't think I've really been to a leisure centre pool since I was a kid myself, I remember this being the kind of cheapest thing you could do every week....

OP posts:
Enough4me · 06/09/2021 09:00

Yes that's reasonable for a family of four. I'm assuming it is a nice pool, good changing facilities, and was a charge for several pools so adults could have taken turns to have a proper swim too.

Bananarama21 · 06/09/2021 09:03

Costs £7.50 for a family ticket of where I work for a family of four depends on the area, my sil said they could pay 20 plus where they live in wales

PaulGallico · 06/09/2021 09:07

At our leisure centre you would be looking at around £16.00 - good facilities. My DC are now young adults but I have always thought swimming to be expensive. My eldest loved swimming and joined the swim club - competitive swimming (even before county level) is expensive and must leave lots of families unable to be involved.
Lots of leisure centres struggled with lockdown, many at risk of closing so it isn't going to get any less expensive soon.

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Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 09:09

It is a nice pool (clean, warm etc) but the charge was just for the kids pool (basic small shallow pool, no slides or anything, albeit nice and warm).

I don't mind massively as I can afford it but feel that it should be affordable for all. Also the pool is on a deprived estate (I assume to improve the area with facilities) but all the customers including us arrived by car from other parts of town - fair enough that we go as it's the only kids pool in town but surely lOcals cannot afford to swim. Bit depressing!

OP posts:
JaninaDuszejko · 06/09/2021 09:11

Where do you live? I'm in the NE and we pay much less than that. An adult swim is £4.05 in my local pool (can't find the family price but kids are very cheap), a 4 person family ticket is £14.90 at one of the local pools with a wave machine etc, the alternative leisure pool is £13.65 for a 4 person family swim.

Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 09:13

We are in the south east.

OP posts:
Knittingupastorm · 06/09/2021 09:14

At our local pool, a family ticket (3 people) is £10.70 in the smaller, shallower pool, and £14.70 in the main pool.
You can’t book individually for the family swim sessions so a family of 4 need two family tickets.

Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 09:17

@Knittingupastorm that's pretty weird, surely 4 is the most common family size. Or are they assuming one parent takes two kids. I'd be a bit worried about that with mine, as they are so young.

OP posts:
idontlikealdi · 06/09/2021 09:17

Family ticket in our favourite pool which is further away from is £13.90 - wave machine, flumes, lap pool and beach pool. Parking is free and you get your £ for the locker.

Our nearest council pool in Zone 4 is £22 for just a pool, you have to pay for parking and you don't get your £ back for the locker!

JacketSpud55 · 06/09/2021 09:18

That’s expensive compared to where we live in Shropshire. All children under 18 are free and adults range from £1-3.50 depending on session. You have to get a little card for the kids which you have to show your council tax or utility bill to prove you live in the area.

Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 09:21

@idontlikealdi thanks for saying that. Just checked and our nearest wave/flume pool would have been £13 for the four of us! Might go there next time....

OP posts:
Wildlynx · 06/09/2021 09:24

It is expensive, but not atypical round here (also south east). My kids do swimming lessons at our local pool which includes free entry at other times for them. Is about £25 per month which I think is great value. Worth looking at? You'd only need to pay adult entry then.

GameSetMatch · 06/09/2021 09:27

It seems fairly expensive to me, it’s £8.80 for two adults and up to four children at my local council run pool.

Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 09:29

@Wildlynx that does sound good value. 4yo is signed up for lessons but they are in a school pool. 2yo obviously too young. Will look out for a deal like this though.

OP posts:
MarchingOnTogether · 06/09/2021 09:31

At our local pool it's 4.50 for an adult and 3.80 for child.
But we get to go for free, I have an annual membership for the pool and gym (so not free exactly but already paid for) and the kids do swimming lessons there so they get to swim for free during family sessions

sanityisamyth · 06/09/2021 09:42

There's a lido about 15 mins away from us that do hour slots for £1 each. They've also got a giant inflatable, zorb ball and pedalos that you can use for £2.50 per child. Amazing value. The booking system is a nightmare and it's hard to get tickets buy well worth it if you can get some!!

MyLeftFootVMyRightFoot · 06/09/2021 09:42

That does seem high.

Shellingbynight · 06/09/2021 10:13

It would be £16 in our leisure centre (south east). If you go regularly you can buy a pass which reduces the cost significantly. There is no children's pool though, it's just one 25m pool. It's a council pool run by a not for profit organisation.

wendz86 · 06/09/2021 10:15

Our pool is under 5's free so that is very expensive. Adults are £5.80 and children over 4 £3.50. I get my youngest who is 6 in free as she does lessons at the pool.

cannaethink · 06/09/2021 11:11

Yes I think that’s expensive! I took my two DC swimming twice last weekend at a council pool. On the Saturday it was £8 and Sunday £6. No idea why it changed! Kids go free in the holidays. This is in Scotland.

LBOCS2 · 06/09/2021 11:54

That seems pricey. At our two local pools (z4 and z5 south london, different leisure centre 'brands') it's £15 for two adults & two children for family or free swim. Cheaper still (£9) when we go to the pool they have their lessons as they swim for free there.

SylvanasWindrunner · 06/09/2021 12:02

Our council pool is £13.80 for a family ticket. Yours is expensive!

Original poster
MotherOfCrocodiles · 06/09/2021 12:32

Sounds like we win the most expensive pool prize then! But thanks for all the suggestions for ways to make it cheaper in future. Definitely looking at swimming regularly this winter now things are open. I've had enough woodland walks and long dark afternoons in a sofa den to last a lifetime.

OP posts:
CuckooCall · 06/09/2021 12:42

That seems very expensive. My local pool (South east) costs £11.20 for a family swim ticket.

Many people can't afford swimming lessons for one child, let alone multiple children, so they take their children swimming and teach them themselves. At £24.50 a go, these parents won't even be able to afford that, so many kids are growing up without being able to swim. It's a shame. And once again it's the poorest kids that are being disadvantaged.

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 06/09/2021 12:56

A few years ago our local pool (which was council run at the time) had a scheme during the summer holidays when you could pay £5 and your child could go as many times as they wanted. Great value (especially if they were old enough to go in on their own and you didn't need to go in with them).

Now, adults pay £5.35 a session and kids £4.35. There are no special facilities like slides. However, if you have swimming lessons you can go to any public session for free.